Turning Point
by Adoradork
Summary: There are points in time that have special significance, points that can change the path of history. Faced with the extermination of the human race by the Kraang, Donatello must go back to one particular point, to save his family and the human race. But to do so means he is trapped in the past, and his younger self is sent forward to face the end of the world.
1. Prologue

Dawn in two hours. Donatello desperately wanted to push up his breather mask and wipe the sweat off his face, but that would mean a face full of caustic Kraang air, and they had enough difficulties already. So he just blinked the sweat out of his eyes and concentrated on the final connections. The network of wires and plates and scavenged Kraang equipment hummed with energy. Almost ready. Around him the ruins of New York thrust dark fingers into the putrid sky.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up. April's face was tense behind the mask, the skin around the green eyes tight with worry. But the curl of red hair on her forehead was as bright as ever. Sixteen years, five months and twenty-seven days since they had first met and she still looked fantastic. Twenty-eight days, actually, since midnight.

She leaned down until their masks touched. "I'm sending everyone else home. Casey and I will stay for the transfer." Engines burred and three of their four vans peeled away through the ruined streets, taking the rest of the rebel group back to the relative safety of the compound.

He smiled at her and she smiled back, though the lines of worry stayed. He wanted to pull her down for a kiss, but that last kiss had already been shared, hours ago. Now there was only the portal and the journey, possibly his last. He wouldn't think about that.

Instead he concentrated on his hands, on wires and leads and pins that must go together in the right combination. Another hour passed before everything came online and then it was time. He stood and stepped into the clear space in the middle of his creation. Glass crunched under his feet. In the pre-dawn light he could see Casey leaning against the van in studied nonchalance. No need to tell him to look after her. They shared a nod.

In a few quick steps April was by his side, her gloved hand gripping his. He leaned down until their breathers touched.

"Good luck," she said.

He squeezed her hand. "This could be forever, April."

"I know."

She stepped over to the control panel, her hand on the toggle that would fire up the portal and either send him back, as planned, or tear him to atoms. Which was a possibility, though the probability was low. Fairly low. His skin crawled in anticipation. April's hand hovered over the toggle, unmoving.

"Press it, Red," he said, knowing she would see him speak but not hear what he was saying. He felt again for the plasma blaster on his back. April's hand moved and the world shimmered around him.

_Here we go._


	2. Familiar stranger

They were winning. Raphael could feel it, in the crunch of footbot bodies under his foot, in the spark and snap of electronics as he drove his sai into another black-clad chest. For a moment there were no enemies in front of him. He scanned the warehouse for his brothers. Mikey and Donnie were carving their way through a group of footbots. Leo was facing off against Fishface. Raph gripped his sai, a feral grin streaking across his face. A good fish-kicking would round out the night perfectly. Leo needed to learn to share.

He was already in hurtling toward Leo when a dark shadow appeared above his brother. Raph cried a warning, but too late. Rahzar landed with his full weight on Leo, slamming him into the ground.

The crack of Leo's head hitting the floor went through Raphael like an electric shock. His vision blurred as he charged toward his fallen brother. He would kill Rahzar for this, skin the ugly dog-thing alive.

He saw the flash of metal out of the corner of his eye. Pain laced across his shoulders, the blow slamming him into the floor. He rolled away without thinking and came up onto one knee, sai up and ready.

Shredder rose to his full height, steel claws extended. Fishface landed beside Shredder, wide mouth open in sneering delight. "That went well," he said.

Behind them, Leo struggled beneath Rahzar, but the mutant was kneeling on Leo's back and his weight was too much. He yanked one of Leo's arms up. Raph spotted Leo's katana just out of reach. _Got to get it to him_, he thought. _Then Leo can take care of Rahzar while I take down Shredder. And Fishface._

"So," said Shredder. "We will do this again."

"It's not going to be like last time, Shred-head," snapped Raphael. In his peripheral vision Mikey and Donnie appeared, weapons up, focus on their enemies. Good. There would be no losing tonight. They could take them. He just needed to get Leo free. "Let Leo go, or-."

Shredder's sneering laugh echoed off the walls. "Tell me where Hamato-Yoshi hides, and your brother will live."

"Don't you dare, Raphael," gasped Leo. He kicked out at Rahzar, but Rahzar slammed him back onto the concrete.

"As if I would." Raph flicked his sai into a different hold, ready to charge. "Ready for a beat-down, Tin Man?"

"Bradford," snapped Shredder. "Tear the turtle's arm off."

Rahzar leaned back, pulling Leo's arm with him. Agony tore across Leo's face. Raphael snarled and charged at them, hearing the whirl of nunchaku behind him. But Shredder intercepted him, blocking his charge, slamming him back into his brothers.

Leo screamed. Raphael's vision went red and he charged again. He blocked Shredder's first slash, steel ringing against steel. Then searing pain coursed up his arm and the sai in his right hand fell from numb fingers. Shredder's next strike sent Mikey sprawling.

Leo's scream broke off abruptly. Raphael looked in horror at the limp form of his brother, his arm still attached but not lying as it should. No. How had this gone so bad so fast? He charged forward, following Donnie's attack. They had to bring Shredder down.

Fishface kicked out and Donnie flew over his head, slamming into a glass wall that shattered into a cascade of shards. That was the moment he realised they were losing. Had already lost. _I've got to get them out of here._ But Leo was still pinned, unmoving, beneath Rahzar.

Shredder slashed at Mikey, who dodged, eyes wide, and flung shuriken that bounced harmlessly from Shredder's armor. Shredder's foot lashed out and then Mikey was on the floor, gasping, curled around himself. Raph gripped his sai and prepared to defend his brothers.

Light burst from behind him, searing-bright, washing everything from his sight. He was blind. Panic was a hot taste in the back of his mouth. What was going on? Then the light was gone, but afterimages skittered across his vision. _Shredder standing over Mikey. Leo and Rahzar._ He shook his head, trying to force his eyes to _see._

A burst of plasma fire came from his left, slamming into Rahzar's chest, hurling him off Leo and into the wall. The scent of charred skin filled the warehouse. _Kraang? Now? _Another burst of fire and Shredder was leaping away, ducking, diving for cover. Mikey yelped, pressed into the floor with his arms over his head. But Shredder and Fishface were running, and maybe he and his brothers could get away, now.

"Donnie! Get Mikey," he said, turning to meet the new threat.

But Donnie wasn't there. In the ruins of the glass wall where Donnie had been, another turtle stood; tall, scarred, with a plasma gun in his hands.

"What the-" He scanned the warehouse frantically for Donnie, but there was no sign of his brother. "Donnie!"

The strange turtle glanced at him once, face set and grim, then leaped over Mikey and ran after Shredder.

"Donnie!" he yelled again. Where was he? Raphael ran to Mikey, his frantic gaze searching for Donnie's lean form.

"What the heck was that?" Mikey's startled gaze met his.

"I have no idea. Are you okay?" He put a hand under Mikey's elbow and hauled him to his feet. Mikey nodded, his face set.

Raphael landed on his knees beside his fallen brother. Leo breathed, but his arm lay at an awful angle and Raphael, never good with injury or sickness, choked down bile.

"Where's Donnie?" said Mikey behind him.

"I don't know," he snapped. "But when I find him-" He left the words unsaid. He rolled Leo over onto his back, shook him as hard as he dared. _Wake up, bro._

Footsteps approached. Raph drew his sai in one smooth movement, standing over Leo, facing down the strange turtle. Up close he could see the network of scars on the green hide, the hard lines around the brown eyes, the deep gouges in the plastron that spoke of years of abuse. He was easily as tall as Shredder and towered over them.

"What have you done with my brother?" Raphael snarled.

The turtle gave him a measured look. "I am your brother, meathead." The voice was rough and worn, too, but there was a horrible familiarity to it.

"The hell you are." He tightened his grip on his weapon. "Where-"

The turtle grinned, no humour in his dark eyes. With a shock of recognition Raphael saw the gap in his teeth, and suddenly the long lines _were_ familiar. But no mask, no staff. Just the plasma gun, hanging almost casually from the long fingers.

"But-"

"Stop trying to think, meathead. I don't have time for you to catch up."

Raphael felt the rage build at his casually dismissive tone. The stranger slung the gun on his back and knelt down next to Leo. Raphael fought down the urge to strike at him. The turtle, _not_ his brother, it couldn't be, slid arms under Leo's shoulders and knees.

"We need to go _now_." He rose to his feet, muscles bunching. Raphael stared. He knew how much Leo weighed, but the stranger carried him easily. "What-"

"_Home_, Raphael. Come on." The stranger pushed past them, Leo in his arms.

Raph's mind whirled. Anger warred with the need to get Leo back to the lair, to Splinter. Yes, Splinter. Sensei could deal with this.

"What is going _on_?" said Mikey, his face a mask of confusion.

Raphael slapped him across the head. "I don't know. Stay alert," he said, and followed the turtle and his brother out of the warehouse.


	3. New for Old

They dropped into the sewer and splashed into the darkness. Raph's mind would not stay still. The strange Donatello loped easily through the tunnels ahead of them. _It can't be_. But it was. Donnie had been lying in the glass, and now he was...what?

"So what happened, Donnie?" He stumbled over the name. It didn't fit the self-assured warrior who strode ahead of them.

Mikey stopped dead. "That's not Donnie."

"Yes, it is," said the turtle.

"Buuut-" said Mikey, "you're old."

"I grew up." There was dry amusement in the tone.

"What, in 10 seconds?" snapped Raphael. He shoved Mikey forward. "You might look like Donnie, but you're not-"

"Are you really going to start a fight now, Raphael? Wasn't this morning's bust-up enough for you?" The cold, dead voice echoed against the brickwork.

Raph's breath caught_. _He remembered nearly coming to blows this morning with Donnie when another one of Donnie's _experiments _had caught fire. "How did you know that?"

"Because I was there." He came to a crossways and stopped. "Which way?"

Raph drew his sai in one smooth motion. "If you were Donnie you would know the way to the lair. You-"

The turtle made an exasperated sound. "I haven't been in these tunnels for fifteen years, Raphael."

"But-"

The turtle turned around. "Look at me. Who do you think I am? Stop being a child and _tell me which way to go_."

Mikey's head was turning from one to the other in confusion. Raphael shoved him ahead. "Lead the way, Mikey."

Donatello turned and followed Mikey without a word. Raphael's fists clenched. He couldn't deal with this. Couldn't deal with Leo's slack face, with the mangled arm. He needed something to hit. That much he understood. His eyes focussed on the strange Donatello's back, and he gripped his sai tighter. _I'll start with you. As soon as Leo is patched up._

They made their way through the tunnels in silence, Raphael right behind him, ready for treachery. So when they pushed through the turnstiles and into the lair, he saw Donatello's shoulders jerk, saw the catch of breath. For some reason the lair startled him. Why?

Mikey ran for the dojo, shouting for Splinter. Sensei appeared at the top of the steps and froze, taking in Leo being carried by the strange turtle. He scanned the group as he hurried down the steps. "Where is Donatello?"

"I'm here, Sensei." The voice was even more dead than before, and the muscles on Donatello's shoulders were knotted with tension.

Splinters eyes widened. _Right there with you, Sensei_, Raph thought.

Donatello gave Splinter an awkward, rusty bow, as if he hadn't made the gesture in a long time.

"Donatello?" There was confusion and disbelief in Splinter's tone.

"Yes." The voice was strained. Donatello cleared his throat. "Leo is hurt."

That was enough to still the questions Raph could see rising in Splinter's eyes. "Put him on the table," he said. "Michelangelo, get the first aid kit."

Raphael stayed out of the way, but his sai stayed in his hands, a comforting, cold weight. Splinter and Donatello worked together on Leo, and now Raphael could see more echoes of Donatello in the sure movements, the clinical assessment of Leo's injuries. Without warning Donatello wrapped his arm around Leo's injured arm and twisted. There was a horrible, grinding click and then suddenly the arm was lying the right way. Raphael swallowed and looked away, shuddering.

"Dislocated," said Donatello to Splinter, who nodded and continued cleaning the lacerations across Leo's plastron. Splinter looked calm and collected, as he always did. _How can you not be going crazy?_ Maybe he was. They were nearly done. Nearly done, and then there would be questions, and answers, and maybe he could stop feeling like he was going to explode.

When Leo's arm was strapped across his chest Splinter and Donatello carried his limp form down to the pit and lay him on a bench. When Donatello straightened, Splinter put a hand on his shoulder and looked up into his eyes. Raphael tensed, waiting for Splinter to find this Donatello to be a lie, to attack, but he only stared, frowning slightly.

It was Donatello who pulled away, putting a few steps of distance between himself and Sensei.

"So, my son," said Splinter. "I think you have a tale to tell us." Splinter sat carefully beside Leo, hands gathered in his lap. Mikey dropped down on the other side, eyes wide.

Raphael couldn't sit. He leaned on the pinball machine, arms crossed, not taking his eyes off Donatello.

Donatello also folded his arms, his gaze on the floor as if gathering his thoughts. "I'm- No." He shook his head at some inner thought.

_Since when do you have trouble explaining anything, Donnie?_ "Just spit it out," Raphael snapped. "Or do you need some encouragement?" He would go over there and beat the story out of him in a moment if he didn't start talking.

Donatello glanced at Raphael, then transferred his gaze to Splinter. "I'm from the future. August, 2029, to be exact. I've come back to...fix some things that are broken."

"What things?" This time Splinter glanced at him, but Raphael was too worked up to care.

Donatello ignored him. "In my time, we lost." He started to pace, long strides taking him across the pit in a few steps. "The Kraang have conquered Earth. Humanity is hanging on by a thread. I'm here to prevent that."

_The Kraang are going to win?_ No, he wouldn't believe that. They kicked Kraang butt all the time. "No way. We wouldn't lose to the Kraang. Every time they've tried, we've brought them down."

"Raphael." Splinter's tone was mild but the warning was clear. "How did they win?" he asked, his eyes on Donatello.

"They teamed up with the Foot. Shredder was the liaison they needed to infiltrate and destroy people in power who would have opposed them. With Earth's armed forces under their control, they started a war. And while we were busy killing each other, they took control. Mutated the world."

He stopped pacing, eyes on the floor, arms folded across his chest. "It's unlivable now, unless you have filters. Can't breathe the air. Can't drink the water without treatment." He breathed out in a hiss. "I'm here to stop it from happening. Because we can't fix it where we are."

A cold feeling was growing in Raphael's gut. "But if you're here, then where is Donnie?"

Donatello looked up at him. "We swapped places."

"_WHAT?_" Mikey was on his feet with a cry. Raphael charged down into the pit. "You sent Donnie into a future where _the Kraang have won_?" He snarled and brought his sai up. "Get him back!"

"I can't."

Sensei's hand landed on Raphael's shoulder. It was the only thing that stopped him launching himself at Donatello.

"It's a one-way trip, Raphael. I can come back, but I can't go forward."

"_Why the hell not?"_ Sensei's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"It's complicated, Raphael. Do you really want me to launch into a technical explanation?"

"No, I want you to get my brother back." Horrible visions rose in his head. Donnie dumped in a toxic alien landscape, alone. He remembered the taste of the poisonous Kraang atmosphere, of choking on the air, losing consciousness. How would Donnie survive? Had the Kraang captured him already? "He'll die.

"I must share Raphael's concern," said Splinter. His voice was ice-cold with disapproval. "You have sent Donatello into a situation he is unprepared for. You may have doomed him to death. I am not pleased, Donatello."

Donatello faced them down. There was no regret in his eyes. "He's not alone. April is waiting for him." His eyes flashed. "I didn't have a choice. Travel only works if you can trade places with yourself, and you have to know your other self will be at a particular point at the time you need to transfer. Which is why you can't go forward. Because you can't predict where someone will be in the future."

Raphael felt Sensei's breath catch. His arm tightened around Raphael's shoulders. "So there is no way you can bring Donatello, _our_ Donatello, back to us."

"No." Donatello looked straight into Splinters eyes. "You're stuck with me. And I have a job to do."

Splinters arms tightened across Raphael's chest as he flung himself at Donatello. "You-! _Bring him back!_"

Donatello turned away and walked towards the lab without a word.

Raphael raged until the door slid shut behind Donatello. Then he gave up fighting the steely grip of his sensei and sagged against him.

"Master Splinter?" Mikey's voice wavered.

"My sons," said Splinter. He reached for Mikey who wrapped his arms around Splinter. Raphael shook off his father's arm. He didn't want comfort. He slammed his sai back into his harness and stormed out of the lair. He needed space, and air, and something to smash his fists against until the image of Donnie in the hands of the Kraang went away.


	4. 2029

The warehouse disappeared. Forces tore at Donatello, raking his skin, twisting his muscles. He screamed into the light, so bright it was painful. He couldn't breathe against the band of pain across his chest.

Then he was on the ground and his starving lungs gulped in air. But the air burned his throat, filled his lungs with agony. He gasped in another breath, choking, feeling the acid burn on the inside of his mouth, feeling the blood vessels burst in the back of his nose.

A weight landed on him, pinning him down. Strong hands forced a mask over his face. He kicked, struggled against the arms that gripped his, the knee pressing on his chest. His lungs screamed, his throat was on fire.

Two masked faces hovered over him. He lashed out, knocked one of them aside but the one kneeling on his chest caught his arm and slammed it into the ground. Sharp pains tore at his skin. He coughed and a spray of bright red patterned the inside of his mask.

The other mask reappeared in his vision, leaning down until the visors touched. He saw a face, a woman's face, behind the visor. Words came through, muffled but audible through the mask contact.

"Don. Don! It's April! Calm down. We're trying to help you!" The face loomed over him, blue eyes focussed on his. How did she know his name? April? This wasn't April. Where was he? Where were his brothers? He coughed again, felt wetness on his lips.

"Don, please. You're using your air too fast. You've got to calm down."

That penetrated the panic and connected with the cooler, logical part of his brain. No air was bad. He made a conscious effort to slow his breathing. He could hear the rasp and hiss of his breath, and under that the pounding of his heart. The sky above churned in hideous colours, gases mixing and swirling. Dimension X. It must be Dimension X. But how had he got here?

The woman shook him, gently. "Don. We need to move. Are you with me?" A curl of hair fell across her forehead, bright red.

He stared into the blue eyes, managed a small nod. The weight on his chest disappeared. Hands gripped him under the arms and he was hauled to his feet. He staggered against them, reeling and dizzy from the lungful of poison. The tank attached to his mask bumped against his shoulder. They half-dragged, half-carried him across the broken landscape to a van, parked in a clear spot between ruined buildings.

Inside the van they let him collapse on the floor and the world faded for a while. He drifted in and out of consciousness. When he awoke, the woman with the red hair was sitting next to him, supporting him as he lay on his side, her hand resting on his shoulder. He stared at her face. She had said her name was April. That much he remembered.

She saw him watching her and leaned down. "Okay?"

He nodded.

"Another hour and we'll be there. Just hang on."

"Where-" he managed, before another cough tore through him.

"The compound. We'll be safe there."

"No. Where is...here." It hurt to talk, and the blood in his mouth tasted coppery and sharp.

She studied him, gaze roaming across his face. "New York."

"Not...New York." Not this stark, horrible landscape. It couldn't be.

"It is. It's New York in the future." Her hand reached down, fumbled for his fingers, squeezed. The warmth startled him. "It's 2029, Don. You've come forward in time."

Forward? His mind wouldn't process her words properly. "How-?"

"Too hard to explain." Her breath misted the inside of her mask. A bead of condensation trickled down. "But it's the truth. I'll give you the whole story when we can talk without masks."

She sat up, breaking the contact. Donnie lay on the floor of the van, feeling the vibration of their movement, the jolting shudder as they bounced over the rough road. 2029. The number played over in his head, meaningless. He rolled onto his knees, got one leg under him and struggled upright. The woman stood with him, hand held out to assist, but he ignored it and staggered to the narrow windows at the back of the van.

The world peeled away behind them. The horizon was a jagged circle of teeth rising into the sky, empty windows pockmarks of decay. Colours were muted, twisted. No blue sky. No sun. On the collapsed ruins beside the road strange growths pulsed, shocking-bright. Pustules burst, sending clouds of gas into the air, harsh pinks and fluorescent green and dull, smoky grey. _Some sort of alien respiration_, his scientist mind said. He retreated there, to the unemotional side of his self, away from the stark horror in front of him.

2029. Sixteen years in the future. What had happened to create this landscape? But he knew the answer already. He had seen a world like this before, looking through a Kraang portal. This was Dimension X brought to Earth.

And the woman who had rescued him...no. He turned and found she was watching him. It was hard to see her features from here through the mask, but the blue eyes were visible. April. Older. He leaned on the wall of the van, his hand shaking. It couldn't be. _You're dreaming. A nightmare. You got knocked out._ But everything was too real, too solid.

Something beeped behind him and he turned around, then realised the noise came from the tank slung over his back. April reached into a locker and pulled out another tank. She gestured him over. When he reached her, she leaned forward to touch her mask to his. "You need to swap tanks. Take a deep breath."

The first deep breath sent him into a spasm of coughing. When he had his breathing under control again he took a more cautious breath, filling his lungs until they ached, fighting the need to cough. April disconnected the tank with quick, sure movements, snapping the new tank into place.

He released his breath, leaned over and coughed until his chest hurt. April put a hand under his elbow as he slid down the wall. He saw her lips move.

He couldn't hear her voice, but he thought she had said _I'm sorry, Don_.


	5. Questions and memories

The lab door closed behind him. Don paused on the threshold for a moment, steeling himself against the wash of memories. Voices rose on the other side of the door; Splinter's measured tones, Michelangelo's agitated voice, and another, quieter voice. Leo must be awake.

He pushed the voices aside and headed for his desk. It was a mess; books, glassware and tools piled haphazardly. In a clear space in the middle lay an open notebook. He scanned the page. Notes on developing retromutagen. _Well that was a waste of time_. He grabbed a pen, scrawled DON'T BOTHER across the words, then swept the whole mess off the desk and on to the floor.

He reached over and dragged the laptop into the clear space. _Don't touch my computer, Mikey _ came up on the screen, with an entry box for a password. Damn. Something else lost to memory. Oh well, he'd just have to hack in. He rebooted, got into the root directory, worked his way around the primitive file system until the profile was clear, then booted again. _Too easy_.

He lost himself for five quiet minutes setting up automatic web searches. Such a primitive system, compared to the lightning-fast Kraang technology they worked with now. When the searches were done, he straightened. Nothing to do now but wait and see what came up, whether it would match the events he was expecting, or whether he had done enough, now, to change things. He doubted it.

His gaze wandered across the lab. So many projects. One of the patrol buggy sidecars was in pieces. He couldn't remember why he'd pulled it apart. The Shellraiser lurked in the corner, bright colours against the grey walls, a panel on the side open and spewing cables onto the concrete floor.

He made his way over to it. It looked like he had been working on the camera interface. Another thing he had forgotten. Not surprising, considering. He ran his gaze over the brick-like shape. Such a crude design. His mind automatically presented a number of improvements. He pushed them away. He wasn't here to play.

Still, not a bad effort for a fifteen year old with only scavenged parts and crappy tools to work with. The pride he felt surprised him. He hadn't thought there was any pride left in the shattered remains of his ego. He reached up a hand and patted the steel body.

"You look like you're saying hello to an old friend. Or a pet."

Don spun around. He had been so lost in his memories he hadn't heard the door open. Leo stood in the doorway, his face pale, the white bandage holding his arm to his chest stark against the green skin. But he stood tall, chin up, observing Donatello with a measured gaze.

"Something like that," said Don. Was there ever a time when Leo wasn't in control? He tried to imagine what Leo would be like at thirty-two, his youth tempered by responsibility and hardship. But he couldn't. _You'll forever be sixteen in my head, Leonardo_. He steeled himself against the jolt of grief that washed over him. Still sharp, after all these years.

Leonardo walked across the lab, stopping a few paces away. Don could see his eyes searching, looking for something of his brother in the person before him. _I wonder what you see. Would you have thought I would end up like this? _

The observation over, Leo looked up to meet Donatello's eyes. "Master Splinter says that you and Donnie have traded places."

"That's right." Those damn eyes. He forced himself to meet the gaze, not to look away.

"And that you can't bring him back."

Don nodded slowly, not trusting his voice.

A quick intake of breath, the blue eyes narrowed with concern. "Why?" There was no anger there. Not like Raphael, whose every question held accusation. He could see the struggle to listen first, to not react.

"If I explained, would you understand?"

Leo thought for a moment. "Probably not. All right. Then tell me why you are here. What's going to happen?"

"What's going to happen is that we- you, are going to lose."

"Because of Shredder teaming up with the Kraang?"

"That's one problem, yes."

Leo put his head on one side. "What's the other?"

"Others. I could be here all night explaining." And he really didn't want to say it, to face those blue eyes and say _you should have died tonight_.

Leo shrugged. Pain flashed across his face, then was gone. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Fair enough." Don walked past him to the desk and opened up his searches. "There are hundreds of events that happened that helped to defeat us, but we've pinpointed a few of the major points that, if prevented, might be enough to change the path of the future."

Leo leaned in to stare at the list of words. He pointed to the top of the list. _Oruku Saki_ and _Karai_ and then _New York Defense Force_. "Shredder and Karai? What defense force?"

"In a few days, the Kraang are going to release mutants across the city. These aren't Earth-created mutants. These were made in Dimension X. They're basically super-soldiers, sent here to terrorise and destroy. Shredder funded a defense force, run by Karai. Except the 'defense force' is just a front for indoctrinating people, sending them to Dimension X to be mutated into more super-soldiers, then sent back here to fight."

Leo frowned. "But why? Why fight each other?"

"Because they can destroy key facilities, kill important people, all under the guise of 'defending the city'. New York is the first. After they prove the success of the defense force against the mutant soldiers with a couple of staged fights, they set up defense forces in key locations all over the world."

He heard Leo's breath catch. "And then-"

"And then it's one short, fast ride to the downfall of humanity. So we have to win here. Now. By whatever means possible."

Leo stood silently for a long while, frowning, eyes on the desk. "And you're here to help us stop them."

"Yes."

Leo looked up and met his eyes. "And Donnie? Will he be all right?"

Don shrugged. "Probably not. Who knows?" _I hope so. Because I can't go home without him. _ But he wasn't going mention that, to raise hope when there was so little chance of this ever being fixed. Or maybe it was his own, desperate hope he was steeling himself against.

Now there was a flash of anger in the blue gaze. "That's my brother you're talking about. My brother that you've sent into danger."

Don looked back, drawing on all the cold, dark regret in his soul to face down that hurt. "That's ME I'm talking about, actually. I sent myself into danger. I'm paying for this with my own life, nobody else's. You of all people, Leo, should understand sacrifice."

He turned his back on Leo and focussed on the computer. After a moment he heard the soft pad of feet on concrete, then the sound of the door sliding closed.


	6. The compound

Another hour of rutted, decaying roads and Donnie thought his head might actually explode. He'd spent the last part of the trip slumped in a corner of the van, eyes closed, listening to his breath echo in the mask, trying not to think about where he was, and what that meant.

But of course, he couldn't _not _think. His mind worried at the problem of the Kraang victorious, the Kraang in control of Earth. But lacking information, his thoughts went around in fruitless circles. He would have to wait for answers, but he wanted them now.

And below that need for understanding, panic swam in the murky darkness. He pushed it back down. _It's only temporary. If they can get me here, then they can send me back. This isn't forever. It can't be._

The van slowed. The sound of the engine changed, became louder. He opened his eyes and sat up, noticed the darkness through the back windows. They must be going underground. Minutes passed and then the van drew to a stop.

For a moment he thought he'd gone deaf, the silence was so absolute. Then sounds intruded from outside, the hum of a motor, a metallic clang, a grinding thump that reverberated through the van.

April came over and held out her hand. Donnie let himself be helped to his feet. He no longer felt the desperate need to cough, but his throat burned and the inside of his nose felt raw and tender. At least he could stand now. Distantly he wondered about the long-term effects of Kraang air on his system. He filed the thought away for later.

Outside the van April pulled off her mask and shook out her hair, damp with sweat. He found himself staring at her. Time hadn't been kind to her. There were lines around her eyes and across her forehead. Her freckles had faded. _Not surprising if they live underground._ The bottom edge of her red hair was roughly cut and she was thin, too thin, with hollow cheeks and prominent collarbones.

She caught his gaze and he flushed and looked away, pulling off his own mask. He took a cautious breath. The air was heavy and stale, but at least it wasn't trying to kill him.

The driver of the van came around the corner, pulling off his mask. "Easy as," said a familiar voice. Donnie looked up into Casey's grin, still with the missing teeth. "How you doing, Don?"

"Fine," he managed. It was a sad indication of his state of mind that he was glad to see Casey Jones, but another familiar presence was comforting. This older Casey was also whip thin, though the shoulders were broader, the arms ropy with muscle. The distinctive pockmarked skin of a healed burn covered one side of his face, trailing down from one eye, across the cheek and neck, disappearing into the collar of his shirt. It looked like an old injury, and there were other, smaller scars visible. But the Casey of his time still shone through.

That's when Donnie realised it was real. With sudden shock he wondered what his brothers looked like now. He found himself scanning the area for them, felt a desperate need to have them close. _It will be all right once we're together. I can get some answers. We'll work something out._ Curiosity rose and drowned panic. He tried to imagine them older. Imagine himself older, because surely he would be here, too. _I bet Leo is still a bossy pain in the shell. And Raphael a cranky meathead. And Mikey-_ He struggled to picture Mikey grown up most of all. He wanted to hear their stories, hear what the future held. For the first time he felt like things might be okay.

"Come on," said April, leading the way past a number of parked vans to a metal door. She swung it open to reveal a short corridor. The sound of conversation came down the corridor to them.

He followed Casey through the door. "Where are my brothers?" he said.

Casey's eyes went wide, then his expression softened. "Oh. Dude, your brothers are-"

April turned and slapped him. "They're not here right now." Her voice sounded high, strained. She glared at Casey, who gave her a puzzled look, then shrugged.

_What was that all about?_

He didn't have time to ponder it though. They came out into an open area. Someone shouted April's name and then there were people running towards them from all directions. Too many people. The instinctive need to hide rose in him. _Can't be seen!_ He panicked and backed away, but ran into Casey's chest. Strong hands came down on his shoulders, holding him in place. And then they were surrounded, curious eyes on him. Too many eyes. He wanted to shrink into the floor.

An older man with a rough beard pushed to the front of the crowd. He looked Donnie over. "Don's gone? It worked?" he said to April.

"Looks like it," she replied.

There were ragged cheers from the crowd. They pressed in closer. Donnie found himself pushing back against Casey. The smell of unwashed bodies was overwhelming. He forced himself to look around, not just stare at the back of April's head. Rough, stained clothes. Dirty skin. Thin, pinched faces. _I don't think the rebellion is doing well._

The man folded his arms across his chest. "So when will things change? How long?"

April shrugged. "I don't know."

"You must have some idea."

"I don't. It depends what happens when Don gets there. It depends how much he has to change."

Voices rose in frustration, calling for answers. April raised her hands. "I don't know, okay? We just have to wait."

"We can't wait much longer," said a woman's voice from the crowd. "You promised he could fix this!"

"He will! Just-" Donnie could see the frayed edges of April's patience. "Just wait, okay?"

The bearded man shook his head. "All right. Back up people. Leader meeting, right now."

"We'll be there in a minute," said April.

"But-"

"Don took a lungful of poison. We need to sort that out, then we'll be down."

Once again Donnie found himself the target of too many curious eyes. Casey steered him away from the crowd and Donnie let himself be guided. His impression of the base was rock and dust and piles of junk, everywhere it seemed. Nothing was in a straight line. Finally April opened a door and he found himself in a small bedroom. There were no sheets on the bed, just a stained mattress. A table took up one corner, and in the other was a cupboard with only one door. Another door gave him a view into a cluttered room.

Casey leaned on the doorframe. April turned around with a cup in her hand. "Sit down," she said. The only place to sit was the mattress, so he perched on the edge. "Here," she said, holding out two pills. "Anti-inflammatories and analgesics," she said at his querying look. They were huge and uneven, as if they had been made by hand. She shoved the cup towards him. It was filled with a cloudy liquid.

"What's this?"

"Water," she said.

Donnie gave the liquid a horrified glance. "Uhm-"

"Just drink it, Don. It's not pretty but it won't kill you."

He popped the pills in his mouth. They started dissolving on his tongue and he hastily took a gulp of water. It tasted soapy and strange.

"All right. We have a meeting to go to. Try to rest, okay?"

He nodded and they left. Donnie looked at the stained and sagging mattress, but couldn't bring himself to lie on it. He was too worked up, anyway. He went through the door into the other room.

It felt so familiar that he paused for a moment in the doorway. This was his lab, he knew it. The shape of it fit. It was tiny though, just enough room for some shelves and a long bench. He peered into a box perched on the end of the bench. It was filled with notebooks.

Wires, components and tools lay strewn across the benchtop, except for one clear area, where a notebook lay open on top of a blueprint. He pushed the notebook aside and stared at the complex diagrams, tried to work his mind around the calculations. _Wow. This is...what is this?_ He pulled the notebook toward him and scanned the page. The handwriting was eerily familiar. _It's like deja-vu. I didn't write this, but I feel that I have._

His eye was drawn to some words at the bottom which had been circled in thick black pen. His breath caught as he read.

_You have three days to get home. Start with the red journal, date May 2022. Don't worry about the design. The portal is all set. April knows where it is. Just figure out the calculations for time displacement. If you get them wrong, it won't work, and we're both stuck. Forever. So don't mess up._

Relief washed over him. He knew it. He knew he wouldn't leave himself stranded. That would be completely illogical. Donnie scuffled through the box until he found the red journal, flicked through to May.

The lab, April, Casey, his brothers, all faded away as he lost himself in his notes.


End file.
